Therapeutic percussors and vibrators are known and used to stimulate expectoration of mucous from the lungs. It has been found that by applying undulating or vibratory action to the area of the body adjacent to the thoracic cavity, postural draining or coughing up of sputum is induced thereby reducing the amount of mucous that lines the inner walls of the alveoli.
Various pneumatic and mechanical types of percussors are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,107 to Strom et al. discloses a pneumatic percussor for stimulating the expectoration of mucous. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,563 to Maione discloses a pneumatic percussor useful in the therapeutic treatment of cystic fibrosis and other lung disorders.
Low air loss patient support structures or beds are also known in the medical field. The structures essentially consist of a plurality of inflatable sacs disposed on a frame structure. The patient's weight is uniformly distributed over the supporting surface area of the inflatable sacs. Low air loss beds are known in the art claiming therapeutic value in pulmonary and circulatory care. Low air loss beds are also considered helpful in preventing and treating pressure sores. Exemplary low air loss beds relating to wound care management and prevention include the Flexicair and Restcue beds provided by Support Systems International, Inc.
Alternating pressure low air loss beds are also known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,029 to Vrzalik discloses a low air loss bed having first and second sets of air bags alternating positioned in an interdigitated fashion. Valves and circuitry are provided for alternately changing the pressure in each of the sets of bags to selectable maximum and minimum pressure above and below a predetermined baseline pressure in repetitive and cyclical fashion. Low air loss beds are also known for turning or rotating a patient from side to side in a cyclic fashion, for instance the Biodyne bed by Kinetic Concepts, Inc.
Support Systems International, Inc. markets the Restcue bed having the ability to operate in a first static mode, a second pulsation mode, and a third patient turning mode. The Restcue Bed employs a uniquely designed inflatable sac, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,414, to operate in any one of the three modes.
Until now, the vibratory therapeutic treatment of lung disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, has not been combined with the benefits of low air loss technology. Previously, a patient restricted to a low air loss bed, such as the Restcue bed, who also required percussive chest therapy to induce mucociliary clearance required an external mechanical or pneumatic type vibrator, such as the Strom device. This device would be applied directly to the patient's upper torso to loosen the mucous.
It is also known in the art to provide vibratory pads or similar supports upon which a patient can lie or sit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,225 to Vogel, for example, discloses an oscillator plate on which a body can sit, lie, or stand. The oscillator plate is made to oscillate by sound waves. U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,255 to Mogaki et al. discloses a massage mat having a plurality of juxtaposed air chambers. A repeated rhythmic wave motion is induced over the entire surface of the mat or in a local surface by repeating a succession of feeding and discharging of compressed air into and from the air chambers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,874 to Matsumura et al. discloses a similar pneumatic massage mat.
The patient care industry has become sensitive to the rising cost of health care in this country. Sophisticated therapy devices such as the low air loss beds described, although very effective in their method, can amount to significant expense if the patient requires sustained use of the bed. The more versatile these beds can be made, the more the expense of the bed can be spread among a wider patient basis. For example, a low air loss bed also incorporating a vibratory therapy mode of operation could be used to treat a first patient suffering from pressure ulcers and a second patient suffering from a lung disorder. The present invention provides such a unique and versatile patient support system and marks a significant advance in the art of low air loss specialty hospital beds.